Cruise Europe?

Earlier a person commented that they loved cruising because everything was included: food, lodging, transportation and entertainment. But the fun I have in Europe is the local "food, lodging, transportation and entertainment". I don't want to be on a boat and separated from the things I traveled half way around the world to see. Cruising is too cloistered of a vacation experience, for me anyway.

BTW, another thing I have against cruises is the dreaded single supplement - how does your single mom friend deal with that?

I recently took my first cruise, in the Caribbean. I had a ball, but I can't reconcile my experiences in Europe to the experiences on a cruise. The cruise was great fun, but in a false way. And I'd never get back to the ship in time because I couldn't leave the port without dinner. I remember a few years ago I enjoyed a full week in Rome and had a good friend who happened to be coming in on a shore excursion while I was there. She hated Rome with every fibre of her being. I asked her what she saw on her excursion and she listed just about all the things I saw over the course of my entire week. How on earth could anybody enjoy that?

My problem with cruises (aside from getting bored on boats) is that you don't get long enough in the ports, plus you share them with all those other people off the boat. Have you ever been in a place like Dubrovnik when a cruise ship is in port? I have given though to the river cruises, but I'm saving that for that for when I'm too decrepit to travel any other way.

I agree with Kathy. I really like cruises because the price includes food, lodging, transportation and entertainment (some better than others) - so it can be a real bargain. If you shop, you can usually book for less than half of the listed price. I eat better food on a cruise than I normally would from corner stands and grocery stores. I also like unpacking once and not having to repack every travel day. The down side is time in ports. Ten hours in Rome (including the time to take the train to and from Civitavecchia), isn't really seeing Rome. I'm not sure I would take a Mediterrainean cruise because each destination needs more time than is alloted. The key is to pick an itinerary where the time in port is enough to accomplish what you want to see and do there. Many Adriatic ports, for example, can be seen in a day. I have yet to schedule an excursion with the cruise line. They are expensive and you travel with a crowd on a sixty person bus. I always find the activity I want then figure out how to do it independently. Every activity has cost significantly less than the cruise line's options. I scheduled a scuba diving day in Cozumel with a boat and dive guide that included a deep morning dive, lunch and a shallower afternoon dive. I also booked a trip to Mayan ruins in Belize that included a van, boat and guided tour with lunch at the ruins. A full day in Acupulco, and later in Ixtapa, with a driver was fine. I was happy with a Baltic cruise. Baltic capitals weren't bad in one day. Oslo, Stockholm, Tallin, and Helsinki are compact enough and public transportation is easy to use. The cruise included two days in St. Petersburg which was plenty if you book a private tour. In Gdansk, we hired a taxi for the day so we could see both Malbork castle and the old center of Gdansk. We started and ended in Copenhagen and planned a few days before and after the cruise to see more of the area.

The answer is YES.....for both families and for couples/singles. I think the key thing is to really research a cruise line to make sure its style, activities, typical fellow passengers, dining offerings, etc. are a good fit for you (and your family, if traveling with a group). When we were in our 30s, we cruised twice with a big mega-ship cruise line. Enjoyed it, but as we entered middle age, we no longer wanted to cattle-herding experience of huge ships. We found a really good deal two years ago (60% off/free air.....net price has since increased) with Silversea on a small ship that has 200 something passengers, all suites, all gratuities included, a more low-key elegant on-board experience (which is what we find attractive). Almost 40% of fellow travelers were non-USA, but English speaking....fun to meet folks from NZ, AU, UK, MX, Brazil, etc. Shore excursions were generally groups of 15-30 people...very high end and nice (and no more expensive than similar offerings on mega ships). But, for kids or teens, they might be bored on a boutique cruise ship. My sister and her family have enjoyed Princess line. Advantage of a cruise: unpack/pack once, efficient travel between ports (usually while you sleep), trusted shore excursion providers. cruise line takes care of VISA requirements, etc. Excellent pre-port orientations (noted professors). Disadvantage, as has already been mentioned: limited time in some ports. But a good sampling of many places, and for certain places/itineraries, a wonderful way to travel. Didn't have to worry about scheduling/catching ferries among Greek Isles, for example.

I'm surprised you've had some good responses. When I first read your question, I thought you'd get bombarded with ridicule for even considering it. I've "cruised Europe" and done a few other cruises. Like others, I think it can be hard to see/do everything in a European port in a day. (But you can still have great days!) I love that I unpack once, all my meals and entertainment are included, and that my kids can go to the Kids club so my husband and I can take in a show alone. We did a 12 day Eastern Mediterranean cruise earlier this year. We never would have been able to go to all those countries for that amount of money, and for that I consider it a very good value. (However, it was still more expensive that we typically spend on vacation.) I would love to do the Baltic Capitals as well, but I just don't see another huge cruise splurge in our travel future. But I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a cruise to someone else who has the budget! Just be sure to research all the lines and pick one that fits best for your interests.

Tim said it exactly as I was thinking it.

Re: food. Even though cruise ships typically provide all the meals, many people cruising will sign up for "all-day" shore excursions that include one or two meals at local, quality restaurants.....or you can do the same without a formal shore excursion. That is when one gets to sample the local fare. We enjoyed several authentic, delicious Greek and Turkish meals at memorable, charming restaurants. One could argue that meals are being paid for that are not being used (what would be included on a ship), but my guess is that during lunchtime at port on the better cruise lines, there are few people actually dining on board. Most are out experiencing all the local environment has to offer. So, if you are considering a cruise, don't think you will be "forced" to eat on board when you are in port. Compare carefully the shore excursion descriptions among various cruise lines. And, again, do your homework on cruise lines. Cruising is not for everyone, and it is not for every trip. If the itinerary and the ports match up for you, along with shore excursions that enable you to see/do what you want, then a cruise can make sense vs. independent travel or a land-based tour. We did our Greek Isles/Istanbul cruise, because Rick did not offer a one-week trip that included those ports.

Traveling with kids makes a cruise attractive because there are other kids to play with an organized leader for the kids clubs. Staying in a big resort is the same, unlike staying somewhere 3 nights and then moving on. My boys have enjoyed cruising because of the freedom and the food. They have enjoyed European trips too, but sometimes we get tired of each others company. We've been on 9 cruises and the Galapagos was really a neat place.
Summer cruises that would be great for a single mom might not suit you- got to know the ship and the season.

We have traveled with the advice or Rick and this travel helpline for our trips to Europe in the past. This time we were doing some of our trip on with Rick's guidebook advice and advice from reading here, as well as 9 days on a Baltic Capital cruise. We just returned last night and I'm fighting staying up to get back on our time zone. We chose the cruise because for our family of 5, we couldn't see these 5 places for less on our own and they were all places we really wanted to see. I'm so glad we did. I agree with what was said here, that you do not get enough time in each place, that is true. I do feel like we got a taste of what each city looks like and there are a few areas I'd like to explore in more detail in the future and now I understand so much more about the city to do that. I was surprised how relaxing it was to leave my stuff unpacked for 9 days and how fast the time went. It was nice that the traveling happened while we were asleep and all we had to do was get up, eat, and walk off the ship. The towns were all small enough to get around with the exception of Berlin and St. Pertersburg, both of which we had tours set up in advance to make the most of the time we had there. We found plenty on board to keep us entertained, although we didn't have too much of a need for it after exploring during the day. There were two sea days built in and I used those to sleep which left me well rested for different travel. That was a nice bonus. I'd never rest in Europe like that if I was on land, so it was nice not to be running so tired all the time.

Two points here: After doing a couple of river cruises, I will never do a land-based bus tour again, not even an RS tour - which I don't find, IN MY OPINION,are a good deal cost-wise, for ME. I know there are posters here that think they are a great deal. Well, to that I say, we all have different disposable incomes, and I can't do a tour that averages $300+ per person/day. I don't know about all river cruise lines, but Viking has early booking periods each year where prices are 2 for 1, effectively 50% off, eg. last December's 9 day Danube/Xmas Markets cruise was less than $1500. Since ANY 9 day tour is really 7 days, it was about $200 a day. This is as high as it goes for me. Still pricier than independent travel, but there is a certain convenience, and as you all know, I travel with my mother - she's 82 - and I'll do anything that will extend her touring time. The cruise past of our travels are the easiest on her. And to be honest, I have enjoyed the cruises very much although I was horribly resistant to taking the first one. My second point - what is it with everyone freaking if a tour ship or bus arrives in a port when you're there? They're tourists. You're tourists. What is it? Is it that you're first-class, and they're steerage? I do understand that many of the posters here are elitists (bless their hearts) and think they have surpassed the role of "tourist", but by the strict definition of the word, you haven't, and we are all tourists. OK - end of rant. Sorry if I offended any of y'all, but some days the elitism, superiority and snobbishness of some of the posts offends me. ( I suppose I'll be getting death threats now.)

I have to agree with Elaine's point. I am puzzled by so many people who say they want to go where there aren't any tourists. Seems to me, in that case, we'd all have to stay home. I dislike mobs, but I can't begrudge other peoples' desire to travel to the same places I want to go. We've never been on a cruise, primarily because we think we can travel more economically on our own, but in the right situation we wouldn't rule it out.

@James - why do you assume that the people posting here are all traveling on tours? I do take an occasional tour, but mostly I travel on my own. There are other independent travelers posting on this board. @Elaine - I don't think tours are a particularly good value. I take them when I feel like a break in the middle of a longer trip, or when I think public transport in a given area will be particularly bad, or when I think a country will be particularly challenging for a first timer (although I visited Russia and India on my own...). But for a solo traveler a cruise is almost always a worse value, thanks to the single supplements. I just received a brochure from one company touting great reductions for early bookings, with not one mention of rates for solo travelers. @Elaine - it's in no way elitist to notice that a place presents a completely different experience when thousands of people arrive at the same time. I recommend visiting this blog, by a Dubrovnik resident, and finding the April 29th, 2010 post on cruise ships. A sample: "On Saturday, 24 May 2010 five cruise ships docked in Dubrovnik, officially opening the cruising season. The ships brought a combined total of over 10,000 passengers to the city that day. Most residents of Dubrovnik agree that one of the city's biggest problems is the number of cruise ships docking in its port." @D.D. - it's true that any place that's in a guide book has been "discovered", but some places are more discovered than others.

Kathy's point about some places being more "discovered" than others is well-taken. I admit that I much prefer the smaller, out of the way places with fewer crowds that I have discovered on my own. But if I choose to go to a place where I know there will be lots of cruise ships or bus tours, then I don't feel I can complain about it.

@Kathy - You missed my point entirely.

@Elaine - then you'd better restate it.

@D.D. - if you read my original post at the top of the thread, you will see that I was explaining that I didn't take cruises because I didn't want to be part of the large group descending on the small town, not that I was in the small town complaining about the cruise. Although I am likely to check the cruise schedules before going back to Dubrovnik!

I disagree with James- cruise=bus: not a corollary.

Is there enough to do to keep a family entertained? Absolutely. Probably more than you can imagine. And then some. Varied entertainment venues, kids' programs, casinos, bars, lectures, films, and a general affinity among boat folks makes for a pleasant trip. We have cruised as a couple, with family ranging from age 90 to 15, and with groups of friends, and everybody has always had the time of their lives. I harbored your same reservations. Then we took a cruise to Alaska, and are now closing in on 30 cruises. We have not, however, cruised Europe mainly because the time in each port is too short for us, but that's our choice. Friends who were not-too-hot to visit Europe (but love cruising) did so on a cruise, and though they weren't that impressed, they'd have never even tried had it not been for a cruise. Live and learn. I doubt anyone in your group will fail to have a great time. Every travel experience comes with pros and cons. Good luck.